In the world of college lacrosse, the ACC rivalry between Maryland and Duke is one of the hottest.
Saturday's thriller in Koskinen Stadium proved to be yet another compelling chapter between the two conference foes.
In a contest that wasn't settled until the last two minutes of the game, No. 4 Duke (3-0, 1-0) and No. 8 Maryland proved that neither team would give up easily, as Duke took the contest 9-8.
"These games are always one-goal games," coach Mike Pressler said. "Maryland brings out the best in us and we bring out the best in them. I was very proud of the way we finished the game. We shut them out in the fourth quarter and we did it on defense."
With only 1:58 remaining, Jared Frood came from behind the net with a direct pass to T.J. Durnan, who transferred the ball directly past the goalkeeper to score the game-winning point.
"We had an offense that was set up to move the ball," Durnan said. "They looked inside and Jared found me wide open. I had the easy job."
Seconds later, Maryland suffered a disadvantage as the Terrapins' Geoff Burnham drew a penalty minute on a slash, effectively ending their chance to come back.
Going into the fourth quarter tied 8-8, the name of the game was defense as the two teams remained deadlocked for the first 13 minutes of the quarter. Despite a number close calls, Matt Breslin held firm in goal. Breslin's 13 saves proved pivotal as Duke shut down the Terrapins for the final quarter.
Duke took the advantage from the top of the game as Frood scored a goal within the first two minutes. Duke spread out two other goals through the first quarter as the defense allowed only one goal.
After Keat Crown went down with an ACL injury in the first quarter, however, the defense would break down in the second.
"He's a captain, he's been our emotional leader, and had a great preseason," Pressler said. "He deserved this more than anybody and we lost him in the first quarter."
While Duke dominated the first three minutes and the last three minutes offensively, the rest of the time was Maryland's. After Duke took a 4-1 lead with another Frood goal three minutes into the second quarter, the Terrapins began surging.
The Terps' Marcus LaChapelle scored three goals in five minutes and two other Maryland players added goals for a total of five goals in six minutes, bringing the Terps up 6-4 over Duke.
"It wasn't panic at all," Durnan said. "They were winning the faceoffs, they had possession. We knew if we had the ball we could score on them, so once we got the faceoffs, got the possession back, we came right back."
And Durnan wasn't lying.
The Blue Devils took two goals in the last minute, including a Greg Patchak slam with three seconds left to tie the battle at halftime, 6-6.
"Those couple of plays at the end of the first half got us really fired up to come out for the second half," Durnan said.
The third quarter saw even more deadlock as the two teams traded goals. Duke took a two-goal lead, but Maryland yet again returned late in the quarter to score two more goals, tying the game up once more, setting the stage for Duke's 11th-hour win.
"It always helps," Durnan said of the victory. "Three out of my four years, we've beat them first game of the season. It builds confidence, it builds self-esteem, it builds the whole team chemistry."
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